Illuminator for firearms.



No. 689,547. Patented Dec. 24, mm.

' F. 0. JAMES.

ILLUMINATOR FOR FIREARMS.

(Application filed Mar. 11, 1901.)

(No Model.)

M A/5555 I INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATE T UEEIcE.

FRANK 1). JAMES, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

ILLUMINATOR FOR FlREARMS.

SBEGIFICATIONfor-ming part of Letters Patent No. 689,547, dated December24, 1901.

Application filed March 11 1901. Serial No. 50,687. (No model.)

To all whont i-z'; may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK D. JAMES, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica,and a resident of Seattle, King county, lVashington, haveinvented certain new and useful ,Improvements in Illuminators forFirearms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in illuminators which operateconjunctively with firearms as an auxiliary aid thereto, and amongnumerous objects attained thereby and which are readily comprehendedfrom the accompanying drawings and following specificationis the perfectcontrol of the energizing medium of the illuminator at critical momentsand positive. extinguishment thereof simultaneously with the dischargeof the arm tively, of aftrigger detached and modified to of withrelation to an illuminator for firearms include meanswhereby theilluminator is operatedinde'pendently of the action of the trigger.

Like characters ofrefe'rence designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several 'views.

Before proceeding to set up any preferred embodiment of this inventionthe utility therewill be comprehensively set forth, and in furtherancethereof it should be understood that the structural features include anymenas by which a primary movement of a pull-0E, as the trigger-fingerwhen lying in operative relation to the trigger of the arm, will inducethe auxiliary aid or illu minator to act; there by rendering the, saidaid operative without additional elfort, delay in aiming, ordisalinement of the arm pending action, and, furthermore, rendering thearm operative in the ordinary and customary manner without requiring anunnatural grip or distraction'of thought, as would be attendant inoperating means workedby other members of the hand simultaneously withor independently of the movement of the pull off.

bodied in a small-arm, asa revolver, having an illuminator of anyordinary or preferred form fixed thereto in any suitable manner; but thestyle or form of the arm is immaterial, andthe fixing of the illuminatorthereto is a matter of convenience, inasmuch as the inventioncomprehends any style of percussion firearm necessitatinga pull-off toput it into action and any form of an illuminator primary action of thepull-off.

In the preferred embodiment the firearm consists of a revolver of theordinary type,

trigger 4, and other usual and ordinary parts. Related to the arm is anilluminater, as 5, consisting of areflector-tube 6 andintermittently-operative means for illuminating, including an ordinaryelectric lamp '7 and an energizer or accumulator 8 in the form of abattery of any suitable or ordinary construction. The illuminator 5 asnow included is conveniently fixed beneath the barrel 3,with thereflector-tube extending para llel thereto, so as to cast the reflectedrays forwardly of the arm and preferably in direct alinement therewith,so as to flood' the field of action with light when the lamp7isenergized. For convenience the battery 8 is placed within the handle 2ofthe arm at the base of-the butt, Fig. 1, and may be constructed ofsuitable form to fit between the detachable side pieces 9 thereofwithout requiring modifications in constructing'the arm. The lamp 7 .issuitably fixed at the base of the reflector- 'tube,' with one terminalconnected to the adjacent metallic portions of the arm, and one pole ofthe battery is also'connected to adjacent metallic portions, while theopposite terminal and pole of the lamp and battery are included in asuitable open electrical connecfrom one pole of the battery,respectively, to

trigger of the-piece.

adapted for conjunctive codperat-ion with the comprising a framel,handle 2, barrel 3, ,1.

As now'considered, the invention is emtion insulated from the metallicportions of I This connection consists in the separated points adjacentthe position of the 1o operatedby 15 push-button,

To effect an illumination, the circuit between the battery and lamp isconveniently closed by primary action of a pull-off or thetrigger-finger when lying in operative rela- 5 tion to the trigger 4 andis preferablyaccom-.

plished by a slight movement of said trigger to effect a connection ofthe wires and 11, Fig. 1, or the said connection maybe efiected byprovidinga snitabie contrivance, likewise the primary movement of thepull-off or trigger-finger, but leaving the said trigger in action,Figs. 3 and 4. As new considered, this cont ivance is preferably mountedon the trigger and comprises a suitable as 12,-operatively mounted inthe face of the trigger at a point where the trigger-finger normallyplays in operatingthe arm and has asuilable projection therefrom,

so that primary movement of the finger will first depress the button andcomplete the'circuit-to cause an illumination prior to perceptiblemovement of the trigger.

The push-button 12 is conveniently provided with a-stem l3 and isoperatively mounted in a suitable recess, as 14, formed in the trigger,with the stem projecting rearwardl y, and acoiled spring, as ]5,underthe head of the button serves to return it to normal position after eachoperation. The wires 10 and 11 ;o are brought into'operaiive relation tothe end of said stem in any convenient manner, as v through suitableways conveniently formed in thetrigger, and the ends thereof lie in asuitable recess, as 16, formed in the rear edge- 5 of the trigger, whichrecess is closed by a suitable-removable cover 17. One of the wires, as11,is preferably fixed to the stem 13 bya suitable insulatedconnection,.while the second-wire is so positioned as'to be contacted obythefimt when the button is depressed,

' aud-thereby render it possible to produce a continuous or flashinglight without movement of'the-trigger. When desired toclose the-circuitby movements of the trigger, one oi -thewi1'es,-as 10, is fixed theretoby a suitableaiusulated connection, and-the second wire, 38-211, isconveniently set so as to be contacted by. the first as the trigger ismoved,

render'lt possible to-obtain a I and thereby 1 continuous light byholding the trigger in a slightly-retracted position or a flashinglightby'mo-vingthe trigger reciprocatively.

It will *be understood that the free ends of Witnesses:

r the wires 10 and 11 are conveniently provided with suitable electrodesof any ordinary or desirable construction, which render the connectionby contact more positive than would the bare ends of the wires if leftin their usual form. v

The firearm thus produced operates substantial] y as follows: Grantingan emergency at night, the arm is grasped in the usual manner, with thetrigger-finger resting in-the guard, and is pointed in the supposeddirection of attack. Slight pressure is then applied to the trigger,with a resultant flash from the illuminator, which exposes the field ofoperation, followed by the usual full movement of said finger, ifdesired to discharge the piece. As the piece is fired the triggerryturns, as usual, consequently separates the electrodes on the wiresand insures the instant extinguishment of the light, and the operator isthus aprotected by the darkness.

Obviously an illu miinatorand firearm placed .at separate. points canbra-cooperatively con.-

nected in a manner substantially equal to the disclosure and other meansthan the trigger-finger em ployed to efiect operative movement of themeans for energizing the illuminator and to simultaneously place thepiece under operative control of the means for ef-, footing said movemenHaving thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desireto-secu re by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- l. Thecombination of a firearm, thetrigger thereof, an illumin'ator, anelectrical en- W. PARRY SMITH, D. A. \MARSHALL."

cooperatively; Y

King county,

7 to normal position, and

too

